WASHINGTON (AP) — For the Justice Department facing intense White House pressure to investigate the perceived president’s enemy, prosecuting former FBI manager James Comey has been a simple part.
Building a case that could shake the Ju Judge beyond reasonable doubt is a very tough job, but like other cases in President Donald Trump’s critics’ investigations, it appears to be more and more at the side of the point.
As a government I aim to follow Trump’s In the ordered indictment, authorities show that making life uncomfortable for targets of retaliation, including reputational harm, legal costs and prolonged uncertainty, is their own goal, apart from their ability to secure a conviction, apart from their ability to secure a conviction. It is a sharp break for the department that has been hesitant to bring cases for decades under bipartisan leadership, and has been reluctant to secure the overwhelming majority of convictions of the prosecutions it has launched.
The outlook for belief can be a basis for removal, at least in regards to cases relating to Trump’s rage. The office overseeing the investigation of Comey with the prosecutor. New York Attorney General Leticia James He learned that lesson last week and the White House resigned in search of accusations.
“It certainly would be a cake ice to gain confidence, but it uses the criminal justice process itself as a means of punishment without taking into account guilt, innocence, or the likelihood of a conviction,” said Bruce Green, a professor at Fordham University Law School and a former federal prosecutor with a focus on legal ethics.
“For decades, federal prosecutors were saying that unless they think the person they are prosecuting is guilty, they wouldn’t bring up a case,” he added. “And that obviously came out of the window now.”
Trump denies seeking revenge
That spirit is tested not only by Comey’s case, but also by separate mortgage fraud investigations. James California Sen. Adam Schiff is a Democrat who has been publicly called to prosecute Trump. James and Schiff’s lawyers are unworthy of the investigation and no charges have been filed. Even if Trump directly appealed Attorney General Pam Bondy to act.
Trump and Justice Department officials have denied the investigation is part of a broader retaliation campaign. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche opposed critics on Friday, saying in an interview with Fox News the incident “is not just drawn from the thin air.”
Trump said repeatedly Two federal accusations filed against him during his term as president were brought against him. – Those who accused him of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election proved he was a weaponized Justice Department victim by hoarding the omitted documents. But administration officials were also clear about Trump’s desire for accountability to those he believes he has been wronged, including officials like Comey, who have been involved in the Russian election interference case during his first term.
“They did it with me for four years, they chased me,” Trump said Friday. He later added, “It’s about justice, not vengeance.”
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump “justly frustrated” that there weren’t more charges. May, Ed Martin, Who will lead the administration’s “Weaponization Working Group”? Longtime Justice Department policies have pledged to sue “really bad actors” despite being directed against public disparities among people who are not claimed.
“If they can be charged,” he said, “We charge them. If they are not accused, we will name them. In a culture of respecting shame, there must be some embarrassing people.”
An unusual route to indictment
The lawsuit against Comey was almost uncertain, involving an unconventional path on his way to indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The indictment was secured by white US lawyer Lindsay Harrigan, a White House aide and former Trump defense attorney. Despite lack of previous experience as a federal prosecutor, Harrigan was suddenly set up in Trump last weekend by Trump after a veteran lawyer who worked for it was effectively pushed under pressure.
Racing to beat the five-year restrictions law set to expire on Tuesday, she moved forward despite the office’s prosecutors saying reservations on the strength of the case. In the end, the large ju court indicted Coby on two counts, but rejected the third prosecutors wanted. The session continued into the evening, and was delayed enough for the Magistrate Judge to pay attention to time.
The indictment accused Comey of making a false statement during his 2020 Congressional testimony, but the allegations are so sparse that it is difficult to assess the strength of evidence held by prosecutors. Comey declared his innocence in a video he posted online, saying he was keen on trial.
The Department of Justice’s prospects for success are vague at best. It is unclear who will file the lawsuit for the government, as Harrigan was the only person to sign the charges. Comey’s legal team includes Patrick Fitzgerald, a former U.S. lawyer in Chicago. Patrick Fitzgerald is probably best known for investigating the leaks of CIA agent Valerie Prami’s identity during the Iraq War.
Trump declares “justice”
Trump loudly promoted the charges in a series of social media posts on his last day, calling it “American justice,” calling Comey a “dirty cop,” claiming he is guilty. However, he also appeared to be trying to manage the expectations of his supporters by noting that the judge assigned to the lawsuit was appointed by Democrat President Joe Biden.
Peter Keisler, a former Justice Department official who served as representative general in the final week of President George W. Bush, said that while Trump is pending the lawsuit, the fact that the administration is potentially one indication that the administration has other goals is a possibility that the lawsuit may be pending the administration shows that it has other goals.
“If the president was actually concerned about pinning it, he wouldn’t be issuing an official statement to promote his obsessive motivation,” he said.
While allegations of vindictiveviveventive prosecution are often not successful, “it is a public record built by the president himself and is one of the very rare cases that makes such a move very strong,” Keisler added.
With a well-known public profile and an experienced legal team, Comey is better than most people in order to cover the weight of government scrutiny.
However, Kayzler added: “The thing that Jim Comey has to maintain his lawyer is that if he is rejected first, he must be criminally tested if the case is not dismissed.
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Seung Min Kim, a reporter for the Associated Press in Washington, contributed.
